Can I please ask any Muslims some questions please?

[giraffesarefab]

I really hope this is OK. My son has a school project to do, it comes in 2 parts, 1 is - "compare the daily life of one religion to your own".

He has chosen Islam so apart from the 5 prayers, is there anything different that you do that a Christian does or doesn't do? I have tried looking online but it doesn't give me much to go on.

Secondly - what do you feel your religion brings to your life?".

If you could help us out, I would appreciate it very much.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I am not Muslim but I would say the fact they can only eat halal meat must affect how they plan their meals everyday aswel as the way they dress ie some of the woman covering their hair etc

I am Muslim. I don't think there's much difference to daily life tbh, other then duly prayers and some daily Quran reading.
Halal meat doesn't make meal planning any different and headscarf same u just pop it on and go out.

@Amirah85 I wouldn’t say these things make a huge difference to daily life either but I was scraping the barrel for the sake of the homework :) x

I have been around Muslim friend though who have to ask in shops if meat is halal or go to special aisles / shops so this does make daily life slightly different

I'm not Muslim, but do live in a Muslim country.

The big difference people struggle to get their head round is since Friday is the holiest day, our weekend is Fri, Sat. My kids go to school on a Sunday (and DH goes to work).
Many kids start extra circular lessons at the mosque to learn about the religious teachings (and learn Arabic in the UK, I believe).
Because of where I live, the shops all shut for about 40 mins every prayer time - and because the time of sunrise and sunset change, I have an app on my phone so I know when there is no point going shopping.

How old is your son? If he looks up the times of the prayers, he may be surprised how early / late some are. I can hear the call to prayer from at least 2 different mosques from my house.

Anything there he can use?

You say a short prayer before and after you eat.

Islam for me personally gives me peace and guidance on how to live a happy and wholesome life.

One of the biggest things we're taught in Islam is the idea of Taqwa (or God consciousness)- so I'm mindful of the fact that I belong to a certain religion and as a member should behave or carry myself in a certain way. My daily life involves being kind and considerate to others and reflecting on my behaviours/thoughts on a daily basis. The prayers really help with this. Also, there are many Muslims from many cultures and each one has their own relationship (or not) with God. Another thing we're taught is not to judge others as God is the ultimate judge- ask you son to look up the 99 names of God for other things Muslims believe God (or Allah in Arabic) to be.

I'd consider myself a practising Muslim- I follow the 5 principles of my faith but don't dress like a Muslim woman. I love my faith but sometimes hate what the culture I belong to has done to the true meaning of Islam- some things have become completely distorted (principles of marriage, interacting with the opposite sex, etc). Part of my daily reflections (also the daily prayers) are to be mindful of the fact that today could be my last day (after all, the only thing guaranteed in life is death, nothing else) and that I should do whatever I can do draw nearer to god (by living a pious life) and being prepared to make my maker by accumulating as many good deeds as I can.

Apart from that, I go to work as 'normal' people do, have a laugh (or not at times) with my colleagues, do my job as best as I can, meet up with friends, spend time with family, etc.

There's not much difference between the Abrahamic faiths- we believe in the teachings of the Prophet Moses (Musa in Arabic) and Jesus (Isa in Arabic) and thus the Torah and Bible as books of God. The fundamental difference between Judaism and Christianity (according to my limited understanding) is the fact that although we believe in 'their' prophets, they dont believe that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was also a (final) messenger of God who came with new teachings (because the previous nations had veered away from the original teachings of Moses and Jesus).

Would advise your son to look up videos on YouTube by Hamza Yusuf, Mufti Menk and Noman Ali Khan- they're wonderful, incredibly well researched and would be able to provide a coherent view of the similarities and differences between the religion(s).

(Sorry- random ramblings above but I've been awake for too long and am desperate to go to sleep- didn't want to read and run!)

Oh and what I believe my religion adds to my life? It teaches me not to take myself/life too seriously, that things will be okay in the end as God has a bigger and better plan for me, that each day is a learning experience and to make tomorrow better, that I may judge others (try not to) but there'll be a million people I come across who may also be judging me (so to take a chill pill and relax), that sometimes life can be cr*p but it's okay, that I should focus on the positives and leave the rest to God, that as humans we have more in common than not and to fair and just.

But, as mentioned above, there is no such thing as a 'typical' Muslim. We come from all sorts of backgrounds and consequently have our own ideologies of what being a Muslim entails. I've been to many events (including to Mecca and Medina) and have been shocked by what/how I've seen other Muslims do/behave.

Okay, bedtime...

Thank you all so much. dunesofsand he is 11, I will tell him to look it up. nightwispa thank you for your insights, it's certainly very interesting, I will look up those videos on youtube.

Thanks again all.

"compare the daily life of one religion to your own".

Is this a church school?

Seems strange homework- what is a child has no faith?

No not a faith school speakout he is in comprehensive where no RE is taught, this is for 'life studies'!

It;s an unfair and assumptive question.

I would complain to the school.

I am not a muslim, but lived in a very orthodox muslim country for five years. Differences that I identified:

Ramadan: the concept of not eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset for one month and that it is guided by the sighting of the full-moon. Very traditional. Fast is broken by an Iftar meal each evening.

The concept of the "good Samaritan" is (uniquely) christian. I observed that although Muslims brought up in christian cultures contributed as we would expect, the concept of offering charity to a stranger was regarded as embarrassing for the "guardian" of the beneficiary. This was a real eye opener for me!! Giving to the poor is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Islam is far more prescriptive than Christianity. There is a list of things to do each day: rules which apply to praying, great detail about whether women should fast when having their period and so forth.

The concept of modesty also differs in that muslim women cover in order to be "modest" but the idea of being unassuming of ones abilities and humility doesn't exist widely in islamic culture.

HTH

sorry - Ramadan is new moon to new moon. Not full moon!!

I disagree, modesty in Islam is not only dress wise, it includes being humble too!

Btw I love how many feel they can answer questions directed at Muslims despite not being one

RE teacher here, the purpose of this will presumably be to establish whether the student can achieve the higher order skills of compare and contrast to draw their own conclusions. They will have studied other faiths so the issue of no faith is meaningless...in history you can compare different ideologies (fascism and communism) without believing in either, this is just the same and is a pure academic exercise.
In terms of research, take a look at the videos on truetube, and find the BBC learning zone RE area, as these give the most reliable, quick sources of information. Feel free to PM me if you want more help!

@Amirah85 not a Muslim but do feel that I am able to answer appropriately given my extensive study and that this is my job.
I don't have to have any faith to teach my subject as it is nothing to do with the academics of the study of religion.
My history colleagues aren't Nazi's yet seem to be more than capable of answering questions on the subject.

I agree because of your job.
But everyone else? I lived In a Muslim country doesn't necessarily give you an insight( as seen from previous answers).

Could be that they all have sufficient qualifications. Shame you didn't ask them though.

What is the normal process when somebody who is a Muslim wants to stop being a Muslim and leave Islam ?

Dogs are haram. And so are pigs. Seem like big differences to me.

The prayer is showing gratitude five times a day, which really molds how you view life.

Wise words there from ragged

I have some Muslim friends. They don't eat pork or gelatin. They don't drink alcohol. At a wedding the women sat on one side and the men on another side. During Ramadan you can eat and drink if you are; a child, sick, elderly, traveling, menstrating or under some circumstances you can make a daily donation instead. I believe males and females attend the mosque separately. When I was at school we studied several religions and I found it to be very interesting and I still find the subject interesting